Great Friends

I wanted to welcome Steve and Deidra to the world of blogging! Steve and Deid have been very good friends to Larry and I. I admire the relationship that Steve and Deid have with each other and they inspire me to be a better wife and mother. They have recently been approved to adopt a baby through LDS Family Services. We can't wait for them to be blessed with another baby!

My Sweetheart

For Valentines Day my sweet Larry was so kind and thoughtful. He had a package waiting for me when I woke up with CK IN2U perfume and a really cute sweetshirt. His note was especially appreciated. I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to a gift waiting for me. Later, while I was at work, the Office Manager brought a beautiful floral arrangement up to my office. I thought it was impossible that they could be for me because Larry had all ready given me a gift. But, they were. Larry had sent me a beautiful rose arrangement! Needless to say, he went above and beyond my expectations this year! He was thoughtful and generous and it meant more to me than I can express. Thank you, Larry. I love you!

It has been some time since I posted. Between working full-time and the many responsibilities that come with having a family, it has been hard to keep up with posts. Things have been so busy I didn't even get a chance to mail out our Christmas cards.

This is what I intended to mail.

For my birthday I decided I wanted to get away for a few days with the boys. Larry and I took the boys down to Moab for an extended weekend. We spent most of our time in Arches National Park. One morning we decided to get an early start and hike to Delicate Arch. We had to stop and feel every patch of sandy ground, count all the rocks in each cairn along the trail, and stop to water the few plants along the way. Although I was a little uptight when the boys got too close to ledges or when they were jumping on the beds in the hotel room or just being crazy in the car, I had a wonderful time spending time with my little family.

Say "Cheese"

Last weekend Natalie asked if we would go up the canyon and take pictures of her family. We love going up the canyon to see the fall colors. So, after church we loaded up the car and headed to the mountains. We are very fortunate to live only minutes from such beautiful sites. My parents came along for the ride so they could enjoy the outdoors with the family (babysitting). Here are some of the pictures Larry took.


Collin, Jay, Natalie, and Sydney Rudel


Donna & John Strong


Shannon & Larry


Sydney, Collin, Logan, & Dresden
(you sure can tell which ones are siblings)


Dresden, Sydney, Logan, & Collin


Sydney, Logan, Collin, and Dresden
are pretending they were washed down
the river bed and are dead...

I mentioned in the last post that Dresden wanted to be a "Doofus", this is what I was referring to...

Charming!!!